Toxicologist On Cancer Warnings: NC Acted Despite Science
A state toxicologist says officials in Gov. Pat McCrory's administration are the ones responsible for fear and confusion about the safety of well water near Duke Energy coal ash pits found to contain a cancer-causing chemical.
Toxicologist Ken Rudo says in a statement issued by his attorneys late Tuesday that the state's environmental and health agencies last year agreed on a safety standard for hexavalent chromium in groundwater after intense scientific discussions. Officials this year decided that standard was too high and declared the water safe to drink.
North Carolina's public health director and an assistant secretary at the Department of Environmental Quality on Tuesday blamed Rudo for sowing fear about dangerous chemicals near Duke Energy sites with "questionable and inconsistent scientific conclusions."
Voter ID Trial Put On Hold Due To Federal Ruling
A trial on voter ID in North Carolina state court has been set aside for now with a federal appeals court last month blocking enforcement of the photo identification mandate.
Superior Court Judge Michael Morgan met Tuesday with attorneys for the state and those who sued in 2013. Morgan had scheduled a Sept. 26 trial but delayed the schedule with the 4th Circuit's decision.
Attorneys acknowledged the state litigation is moot if the U.S. Supreme Court won't reinstate photo ID, but a trial could still happen if it's revived by the nation's justices.
Wake County To Hold November Elections Under 2011 Maps
A judge has told North Carolina's second-largest county to hold local elections in November under school board and commissioner district boundaries approved in 2011 because an appeals court threw out more recent lines drawn by Republicans in the General Assembly.
U.S. District Judge James Dever directed Tuesday how Wake County elections would be carried out after taking in advice from the state and Wake elections boards, legislative leaders and local voters who sued over the most recent maps.
The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last month struck down the boundaries drawn by legislators because the court said the lines violated the state and federal constitution.
Channels At Charlotte Whitewater Center Scheduled To Reopen
The whitewater channels at the U.S. National Whitewater Center in North Carolina are scheduled to reopen six weeks after a visitor died from a brain-eating amoeba.
The center is scheduled to reopen on Wednesday. It shut down its whitewater rafting course on June 23 after a visitor from Ohio died from an infection caused by the amoeba. Channels at the center were drained after the water tested positive for the brain-eating amoeba in June.
North Carolina Government Worker Political Arm Backs Cooper
The political committee of the State Employees Association of North Carolina has endorsed Democrat Roy Cooper for governor over Republican incumbent Pat McCrory.
The 53,000-member union for state workers and retirees announced Tuesday its Employees Political Action Committee backed the sitting attorney general, saying he's an advocate for the middle class and praising his work in public service.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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